This is a crucial part of the client journey that often gets overlooked—offboarding.

Whether you're a coach, consultant, or online service provider (OSP), how you end a client relationship can leave a lasting impression.

In this post, I'll walk you through a smooth and professional offboarding process, ensuring that your clients leave with the same positive experience they had when they started working with you.

Either keep reading or watch the video below:

What is Client Offboarding?

So, what exactly is client offboarding? Simply put, it's the process of formally closing out a project or ending a client relationship.

This involves delivering any final work, collecting feedback, and wrapping up any loose ends to ensure both you and your client are on the same page moving forward.

Why is this important?

Well, think of it this way—first impressions matter, but so do final ones.

The way you offboard a client can either solidify a great experience or leave a sour taste in their mouth. Whether you're parting ways on good terms or due to a challenging situation, a smooth and professional offboarding process is essential.

Why Offboarding is Important

Let’s dig a little deeper into why offboarding is so critical. Imagine you’ve worked with a client for months, maybe even years. You’ve put in the time, effort, and energy to help them achieve their goals. But if you just drop off the radar when the project ends, it can undo all the goodwill you’ve built up.

Offboarding is your final opportunity to reinforce the value you’ve provided and leave the door open for future work, referrals, or at the very least, a strong testimonial. It’s a chance to show that you’re professional and organized from start to finish.

How to Initiate Offboarding

So, how do you kick off the offboarding process? Whether it's a client-initiated decision or one you've determined yourself, the key is to approach it with clarity and professionalism.

Start by setting clear expectations with your client about what the offboarding process will look like.

This could be a conversation during your final meeting or a detailed email that outlines the next steps.

Transparency here is key—you want your client to feel informed and reassured that everything will be handled smoothly.

In my business, I keep an offboarding process template in Asana. This way, I'm not reinventing the wheel each time I end a client relationship. Everything is outlined step-by-step, which ensures I don't forget anything crucial.

Example of Offboarding Process Checklist

Some things you might want to include in your checklist are:

Making sure everything is wrapped up and communicated to the client.
If there's a notice period in your contract, be sure to follow it. This not only shows professionalism but also ensures you're covered legally.
If you've been added to any tools or platforms as part of the client's team, you can remind them to remove you or you can remove yourself.
Ask for feedback on your services—not just for testimonials but also to understand areas where you could improve.

There are many more steps you might want to include, but it all depends on your business and the work you do with your clients.

Maintaining the Relationship

Remember, just because a project is over doesn’t mean the relationship has to end.

You can keep in touch with your clients by following up periodically or sending them valuable resources. You never know when they might need your services again or refer you to someone else.

By implementing a solid system, you not only protect your professional reputation but also pave the way for potential future collaborations.

Now you know how to offboard your clients and why it's important, check out this video next for tips on how to manage your clients.

How to Offboard Clients as a Coach or OSP